Try Orlando workout classes like trapeze or trampoline. (Photo: Joey Kotfica/Getty Images)
Standing in a convention hall may burn more calories than being stationed behind a desk, but it’s time to go beyond the drab room dividers and canned music for a more exciting way to bust those on-the-go calories in Orlando.
Maui B’s Paddleboard Fitness
There are hundreds of lakes in the Orlando area, and if your fitness regimen welcomes sweat, bare skin and good balance, there’s no better or more beautiful place to exercise than on one of them. Standing up on a paddleboard is a workout in itself, engaging the quads, hams, glutes and core just to keep from getting wet. Start paddling and you’re already blazing through calories. Once you incorporate reps of squats, crunches and other calisthenics tailored to the paddleboard by Maui B’s founder Scotty Bumbalough, the count skyrockets. Stand-up paddling may be low impact, but the muscles you didn’t know you had will disagree the next day.
The details: $25 will cover the cost of the class and the equipment rental, and reservations are required. Classes are offered four times a day, departing from the boat dock at Gaston Edwards Park on serene Lake Ivanhoe, just north of downtown Orlando. The lake also happens to be a gorgeous venue to watch the sun set, so opt for the 5 p.m. class. Having burned all those extra calories, treat yourself to a post workout beer across the street at Ivanhoe Village dive bar, The Lucky Lure. Your bathing suit won’t be in the least bit out of place.
TrampoLean Fitness at AirHeads Trampoline Arena
Take any flight destined for Orlando, and it’s abundantly clear that this is a city where kids are always bouncing off the walls. So it’s fitting that at AirHeads Trampoline Arena just south of downtown, you can bounce off the walls, too, because the walls have trampolines on them. Much like stand-up paddling, those fun, springy trampolines of your youth are actually a great full-body workout, activating the lower body and core muscles to keep balance while doing normal exercises like jumping jacks, lunges and mountain climbers. In one of the facility’s TrampoLean classes, you’ll burn more calories than the same exercises on regular terra firma while improving coordination and agility. Plus, the shock-absorbing trampolines keep your joints from aching. Even the basic AIRobics class gets your heart rate thumping, so you can check cardio off your to-do list until it’s time to visit the outlet malls or wrangle children.
The details: The TrampoLean class schedule changes monthly. Single classes cost $8, while $20 will get you unlimited classes for a week. You can either bring your own tennis shoes or purchase of a pair of the arena’s grip socks for $2.85.
Orlando Circus School
In a town of musicians, stuntmen, costumed characters and performers of all persuasions, it’s no surprise that a school for circus folk can thrive. While you won’t find instruction for taming lions, growing lobster appendages in place of hands or operating the tilt-a-whirl, the Orlando Circus School can work you into a Flying Wallenda and make it good for your waistline. Learning the basics of tumbling and handstands from experienced instructors is good exercise, but classes for the aerial hoop and flying trapeze burn many more calories since tumbling and swinging upside down by the knees incorporates core strength. A giant safety net lets you push your body to its calorie-busting limit without the worry of crashing to the ground. You may leave Orlando trimmer and with a new career.
The details: The Orlando Circus School sits just south of Universal Orlando. Adult classes start at $25, while flying trapeze cost $60. Multiple classes are offered each week.
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